Trailing You by Kimberly M. Blaeser
"Trailing You" by Kimberly M. Blaeser is a poignant collection of poems that delves into the complexities of identity from the perspective of a mixed-blood Native American writer. The work emphasizes the significance of oral traditions and personal relationships in shaping one's sense of self. Throughout the collection, Blaeser explores the connections between individuals, their communities, and the natural world, highlighting the importance of memory in transcending linear time. The poems reflect on the challenges of articulating identity, addressing both personal and tribal struggles without romanticizing these experiences. Key themes include the impact of historical and cultural narratives on contemporary Native American identity, as seen in poems that engage with the concept of place and its role in self-understanding. The collection culminates in a powerful contemplation of the poet's own birth certificate, symbolizing the complexities of cultural identity and the struggle against external definitions imposed by dominant cultures. "Trailing You" ultimately serves as a testament to survival and resilience in the face of historical adversity, inviting readers to reflect on the nuanced interplay between identity, memory, and connection.
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Subject Terms
Trailing You by Kimberly M. Blaeser
First published: 1994
The Work
Trailing You, by mixed-blood Native American Kimberly Blaeser, begins and ends on the issue of identity. In between, the poems explore and articulate what it means to be Native American and a writer. In the preface, Blaeser announces, “My writing becomes an act that re-creates me.” The closing biographical note quotes her saying, “In both my creative and scholarly work I hope to explore the way writing can cross the boundaries of print, seeking not to report but to engender life, seeking to understand and enact the ways of survival.” This boundary crossing is present in the first poem, “Speaking Those Names.” The poet acknowledges the importance of the oral tradition and of relationships to her sense of identity. The poem begins and ends with “aloud,” as Blaeser accentuates the importance of the spoken word to knowing and “claiming myself.”
As is the case with other contemporary texts by Native Americans, Trailing You makes clear that articulating identity is bound up in knowing the connections between oneself, others, and the natural world. Memory enables the poet to transcend linear time and rediscover those connections. Poetic utterance animates such connections for narrator, poet, and audience. Thus, a poem like “Rituals, Yours—and Mine” dissolves the boundaries of the present moment to celebrate connection with a loved one. The poem stresses the importance of connection to the poet’s sense of self. Similarly, reflections on place help to articulate the poet’s identity in such poems as “Living History,” “In the Cold Rain Walking,” and “Where I Was That Day.”
Blaeser’s poems make clear that self-knowledge is not easily gained and the articulation of identity can be difficult. The poems explore this personal and tribal difficulty without romanticism. The process of exploration and articulation of what it means to be Indian culminates in the volume’s final poem, “Certificate of Live Birth: Escape from the Third Dimension,” in which the poet happens upon her birth certificate. She reflects upon both her capture, ankle “circled firmly” by white hands, and her mother’s, whose life was so firmly encircled by white hands that she checked “Caucasian” on the birth certificate. The poet recognizes the accuracy of that identification, how “It tells the story of a people’s capture/ It tells the story of a people’s struggle to survive,” and that the poem is “the certificate of our live birth.” Trailing You articulates an escape from the identification forced upon Native Americans by the majority culture.
Bibliography
Allen, Paula Gunn. The Sacred Hoop. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992.
Blaeser, Kimberly. “Native Literature: Seeking a Critical Center.” In Looking at the Words of Our People. Penticton, British Columbia, Canada: Theytus Books, 1993.
Vizenor, Gerald. The People Named the Chippewa. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984.